Diversity push could add race, ethnicity descriptions to Palm Beach County committee nominees

By at 13 October, 2009, 10:30 pm



Answering a call for more diversity, Palm Beach County Administrator Bob Weisman proposes adding descriptions of race, ethnicity and gender to the list of nominees for county committees and boards. New Commissioner Priscilla Taylor last week called for her fellow commissioners to commit to choosing more minorities and women to serve on appointed committees and advisory boards. The county has more than 90 committees with about 1,300 people who weigh in on everything from zoning rules to libraries. County staffers researched Taylor’s concerns and found that 50 percent of those committee members could be identified as white, 12 percent black, 2.6 percent Hispanic and less than 1 percent Asian. About 35 percent of the committee members were identified in the diversity “breakdown” as “unknown.” “Because of the large number of ‘unknown’

designation, it is difficult to assess how closely our appointments reflect the diversity of our population,” Weisman said in an e-mail to commissioners Friday. Weisman proposes that the county start including a “racial/ethnic designation” on the lists of future nominees that go before commissioners. He also suggested including a description of the “racial/ethnic/gender breakdown” of all sitting members of committees when vacancies come up for a vote. Weisman plans to implement the new approach during the next two months, unless commissioners voice objections. A 2008 U.S. Census update reported that the county’s 1.3 million population was 59 percent white, 18 percent Hispanic, 16 percent black and 7 percent with various designations.

View original here:
Diversity push could add race, ethnicity descriptions to Palm Beach County committee nominees

Categories : West Palm Beach




No comments yet.

Leave a comment